A COUPLE who carried on playing loud, amplified music in their home despite orders for them to stop have each been ordered to pay over £500 by the courts.

Filip Makula, 58, and Natasha Makulova, 55, appeared at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates Court on Thursday, pleading guilty to failing to comply with an abatement notice demanding they tone down the music, which had repeatedly disturbed their neighbour.

The loud music was playing on two occasions when a Council Environmental Health officer visited the property.

In court the couple claimed that the music was so loud on one of these occasions due to a birthday celebration.

The court was told that the couple lived on Woodhall Avenue in Thornbury.

On September 10, 2021, a neighbour complained about loud music coming from the property, and Bradford Council’s Environmental Health team got involved.

The neighbour had claimed loud, amplified music was regularly played through the day. The council wrote to both Makula and Makulova to warn them to stop the music, or at least lower the volume so neighbours could not hear.

It also asked them to contact Environmental Health officer Brian Fairclough to discuss the allegations.

The couple failed to contact Mr Fairclough. On October 28, he went to the street at 3pm, and could hear the loud, amplified music that formed the basis of the complaint.

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He was satisfied that it could be classed as a “nuisance” to neighbours.

The couple were issued with an Environmental Abatement Notice on November 15 instructing them both to stop the noise.

He visited the address again on February 14, 2022, and again heard the loud amplified music.

The prosecution, brought by Bradford Council, related to this breach of the notice in February.

Magistrates asked the couple, through a Slovak interpreter, why they were playing the music so loud in the first place.

Makula replied: “Nobody asked us to stop.”

The Council prosecutor admitted that the couple not being able to speak English may have made communication difficult, but said that should not stop them from legally complying with the notice.

Asked again why the music was so loud, Makula said that the music on February 14 was being played to celebrate his wife’s birthday.

Magistrates pointed out how distressing it must have been for neighbours to be so bothered by the noise they felt they had to complain to the Council.

Makula said: “Yes, we apologise.”

They were ordered to each pay £416.11 costs, a £100 fine and a £34 surcharge.

They were ordered that if they continued to play music at such a high volume they would be back in court.